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Playing dress-up with 愼栠敲㵦⸢⼮湩敤瑨汭㸢楰瑳汯朠楲獰⼼㹡 on my new XSE Government
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I decided to play around with some pistol grip on my new XSE and did a few pics. Here she is wearing some very "tactical" G-10 pistol grip made by Larry Davidson - these are awesome pistol grips!
And also wearing some warmer, richer-looking, more traditional Kimber Eclipse wood pistol grips.
And here she is with the utilitarian and economical Kimber Double Diamond Rubber pistol grips:
It's remarkable how the personality of a gun can be so strongly influenced by it's pistol grips. Which do you like the looks of best?
06-18-2005, 06:15 AM #2
Tamara
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Join Date: 05-28-2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,292 Go with the Davidson G-10 pistol grip
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06-18-2005, 10:18 AM #4
Bullrock
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Join Date: 11-25-2004
Location: Maine
Posts: 2,022 Showoff! Don't you own any ugly guns? Excellent photography again. What kind of lighting do you use...???
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06-18-2005, 12:49 PM #6
Dave Sample
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Join Date: 12-10-2004
Location: Prescott, AZ
Posts: 1,003 Hey! Nice pistol grips!
Join Date: 02-23-2005
Posts: 266 Yeah.... I'm with the Davidson G-10's myself, so I guess I'm going to have to order another pair, as I pulled them off a gun with siingle side safety and they don't have the cut-out for the right sided safety. Here's the gun they normally live on:
With regard to my photography.... here is something that I've posted a number of times here and there, but for those who haven't read it yet...
I've used widely varying set-ups for my gun pics over the last few years. Some outdoors, some in the camera room with soft boxes, but most recently, on places like my desk, gun workbench, dining room table, etc. using available table and floor lamps and window lighting and small reflectors to create highlights on different parts of the gun.
Camera is currently a Canon 20D with 17 to 85 zoom lens. Always on a heavy tripod with electronic cable release. Usually ISO 200, f/11, about 1 sec. exposure or so, custom color balance. I spend a lot of time cleaning the set and the gun and positioning everything (lights, gun, camera) to get the look I want. I do some unsharp mask sharpening in PS and also adjust levels and color balance. What makes it easy for me is that I've been earning my living with a camera for decades.... so over the years I've picked up a few tricks. And I've been working with digital image editing on Macintosh computers (in Photoshop) for about 12 years.
Many of my most recent gun photos were taken on my workbench in my gunroom where there is a torchiere floor lamp in the corner and a north facing window. Some (like the 2.5" Model 19) are done at night,
so they were lit by the torchiere floor lamp and a small desk lamp aimed toward the ceiling... which illuminates the upper walls and ceiling to the left of the gun... others (like the model 27, the 2.5" 686+, 586's, Detective SPls.) were taken during the day, so in addition to the floor and desk lamp light, there is also the additional north window light coming in behind and to the left of the guns - making for a mixed light situation (cool north skylight mixed with warm incandescent light from the torchiere).
Daylight, especially north window skylight (not direct sun) is a much colder color temperature (5000-7000 degrees kelvin) than incandescent lamps (2500 to 3500 degrees kelvin), so when you mix the two, your color balance issues become very complicated to deal with and clearly reveal a mixed lighting situation. The usual approach is to set your color balance close to the main light and let the fill or accent light source reveal it's mismatched color effect in contrast to the mainlight. The most accurate color is achieved with a single color temperature from all sources of light, but that's often a lot less "exciting". You can see the two different colors of light (blue from the window and yellow from the incandescent lamps) reflected in different parts of the gun. I use small white cards and other objects to reflect light into places where I want it. Sometimes I've used small flashlights (typically 2000 to 3000 degrees kelvin, depending on battery strength) to brighten up a selected area as well.
I have enough tips, tricks, techniques, and advice to teach a several semester course in photography, so one post here can't really teach much, but try what I've suggested here, get some training, and shoot, shoot, shoot... no only your guns!
Best thing one can do to improve your pictures is to spend the time studying images you think are good and then spend the time with your camera trying to emulate the look, try a lot of different things... see what results, analyse and study what happened and why, and that will be the best education you can ask for. That's how I learned to do what I do... along with a lot of good (now very old) books on lighting and photography! Visit your local book seller to find curent study guides on photography. Lots of fun to play with all of this stuff.
DHart
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06-18-2005, 03:19 PM #8
topspin43
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Join Date: 04-06-2005
Location: Boynton Beach, Florida - Right in the Eye of Hurricane Wilma
Posts: 315
I like the stock double diamond pistol grips! Hands down. Thanks for doing the leg work for me! When my Goverment XSE gets here... I'm sticking with the stock pistol grips. Thanks also for posting your original pics. That's when I fell in love with your pistol.
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Posts: 572 I guess I should have known better than to look at one of your threads. Does Larry Davidson have a website? Where can I get a set of these pistol grips? They look just like the factory Kimber RCP pistol grips, only Kimber doesn't make them for full-size (AFAIK). I'd like to get a set for my TLE. As always, the photos are great.
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06-18-2005, 03:53 PM #10
DarkKnight01
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Join Date: 12-03-2004
Posts: 178 I like how the Eclipse wood pistol grips look myself...
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06-18-2005, 04:03 PM #11
DHart
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Join Date: 02-23-2005
Posts: 266 Tony... my original XSE pics were not with the stock pistol grips, they were done with the black Kimber double diamond rubber pistol grips as shown above. Factory XSE pistol grips are rosewood checkered double diamond pistol grips, which are nice pistol grips indeed, but so many of my Colts have/had them and I'm just bored with that look.
Southpaw...
http://davidsonknives.com/pistol grips/pistol grips.htm
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06-18-2005, 04:32 PM #12
DHart
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Join Date: 02-23-2005
Posts: 266 Here are a pair of Larry's pistol grips on my 1991:
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06-18-2005, 05:01 PM #14
SouthpawShootr
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Posts: 572 darnit! Another $65 down the tubes.
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06-20-2005, 02:02 PM #16
Topthis
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Join Date: 01-07-2005
Posts: 234 Ick!!! U need a bib, Bullrock?
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Thanks again for the info and the awesome pictures! I planted a picture (one of yours) on my boss's desk with a picture of a carrot next to it (I am second in command). He got the hint and stepped up for the pistol! Can't wait 'til he gets back from out of town on the 27th.
Thanks for your part in securing my "bonus".
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Beretta Italian 92 FS (Stainless) 9mm
Browning Buckmark Camper .22lr (Black Sears Weatherbeater I think)
Colt 1911 Government XSE (Carbon Steel) .45ACP
Taurus 85 CH .38 Special (Blued)
CZ 75D PCR Compact 9mm (Black Polycoat)
"It's not whether you win or lose that counts... it's whether I win or lose that counts."
Join Date: 10-28-2001
Posts: 478 DHart,
Great pictures! On your 66 snub, did you brush the finish on it yourself? It looks velvety. I have one that is a bit scratched up and may try to duplicate your finish.
Also - on your bottom picture - the 1991 stainless. Exactly what model is that? It has a rib on the top, vertical serrations on the front strap, Novak sights, short trigger and an Ed Brown grip safety. Did you have all that done to it? Looks very tasteful.
Thanks again.
Join Date: 02-23-2005
Posts: 266 Steve... yes, I refinished the 3" 66 which was scuffed and had some scratches when I bought it. I used Scotchbitepads followed by Flitz Fiberglass & Metal Polish on cotton bore patches. The stainless 1991 was done up for my by John Harrison of Precision Gunworks... John is a consumate craftsman and artist... I wanted the Colt completely remade to a full house custom with all top shelf components.... not because the gun needed it (it was wonderful right out of the box) but simply because I wanted a very cool custom Colt. A higher quality customization can't be found... John's work is awesome and totally geared toward your exact desires.
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06-22-2005, 02:15 PM #21
DHart
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Join Date: 02-23-2005
Posts: 266 MissMak... here ya go:
http://davidsonknives.com/pistol grips/pistol grips.htm
DHart
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Join Date: 04-01-2005
Posts: 236 Grrr...
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I always struggle on whether or not to open DHART's threads, inevitably I have another thing to add to my wish list(Note to self, pick up a pair of Larry's pistol grips for my 1911)... ..by the way they are all beautiful...
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